Charles Brockden Brown

Wieland (1798) is a novel by American author Charles Brockden Brown. Considered the first American Gothic novel, this a story of psychological horror and occult mystery based on the real-life James Yates Murders. The novel follows the Wieland family, whose father immigrated to the American colonies prior to the Revolutionary War in order to found a fanatical religious sect. Following his mysterious death, his children attempt to build normal, prosperous...

Mervyn begins to get sick, and fearing a forced trip to the hospital (a death trap), he decides to hide himself in the old Welbeck mansion. Welbeck leaves Mervyn to die, and Mervyn eventually wanders out into the street and collapses. Mervyn is, discovered by Dr. Stevens sitting on a bench. He is suffering from yellow fever, and since Dr. Stevens has pity on him, is, invited into the Stevens household.

Memoirs of Carwin, the Biloquist (1803–1805) is a fragment of story written by Charles Brockden Brown published over a period of two years. Memoirs of Carwin, the Biloquist follows the life of a young man by the name of Carwin as he realises his biloquial, ventriloquist, talents. Carwin develops this ability to perfection, being able to manipulate his own voice to sound like any person he wants. (Wikipedia)

Edgar Huntly, a young man who lives with his uncle and sisters on a farm outside Philadelphia, begins the novel determined to learn who murdered his friend Waldegrave. Walking near the elm tree under which Waldegrave was killed late one night, Huntly sees Clithero, a servant from a neighboring farm, half-dressed, digging in the ground and weeping loudly. Could Clithero have done what Edgar thinks he has?

Arthur Mervyn has long puzzled students and scholars with its seeming diffuseness, resulting from its original serial publication. Critics agree, however, that the power of this novel lies not so much in its portrait of 'right virtue,' which was Brown's primary aim, as in its realistic descriptions of the yellow fever epidemic and the ensuing panic that swept Philadelphia in the summer of 1793. The ambiguities of Arthur Mervyn's character and the...

Carwin the Biloquist (1798, 1805) is a story fragment by American author Charles Brockden Brown. A prequel of sorts to the novel, Wieland, Carwin the Biloquist provides backstory for the character of Carwin, a man with the uncanny ability to perfectly mimic any voice. Carwin the Biloquist is an unfinished story that traces the life of Carwin before meeting the Wieland family. Having discovered his power at a young age, Carwin first manipulates his...

Ormond; Or, The Secret Witness is a 1799 political and social novel by American writer Charles Brockden Brown. The novel thematically focuses on the ways in which individuals change in reaction to their social environments. The novel follows a female protagonist Constantia and her relationship with the mysterious Ormond, who is also the title character. The novel thoroughly explores the republicanism and republican values common to the early American...